Havest Moon 64 Girl Power title may change
by aspartigus
Summary: summary inside, look at rating, I accept flamers and reviews, I own nothing but I do own Roxanne, and I love long stories so I deliver long stories...
1. chapter name inside,its good so read

Harvest Moon 64  
Girl Power  
  
Summary: I changed my character to a girl, it's more fun  
that way! Plus, the guys, which are so fine (drool), avalible  
are Kai (fun), Cliff (ladies' man), Grey (uptight), Harris  
(eww), and then Rick ( I think he's gay). ^_^ Well the son of  
grandpa has a baby in the city, he wanted it to be a boy and  
heir to this huge multimillion dollar company that he developed,  
but it turned out it was a girl. He shuns her so she is sent to  
his dad's farm... What will happen when grandpa dies and she is  
litterally stranded in Mineral Town? Will she get the hang of  
running a farm or will she utterly fail? @_@  
  
Chapter 1  
Where Roxanne yells at her father and goes to grandpa's house.  
  
Roxanne walked toward her room, with tears in her eyes. She had  
heard her father and what he had said on the phone. How he was ashamed  
of her and how she did horrible in school. How he had called her names  
and critisized her mother who was dead. How he blamed her for her  
death. Her mother had died when Roxanne was born. He blamed her for  
all his misfortunes.  
It wasn't Roxanne's fault that she was born a girl, she wasn't  
sorry for it either. She hated the company that her father worked at.  
He was never there when she needed him. He was never there to  
celebrate her being champion of the spelling-bee, he was never there  
when she was taking her pictures for prom. He was never there when she  
needed his advice.  
So when she finaly excepted that he would never truly care  
for her, she had let her grades slip. Roxanne just didn't care about  
things anymore. She didn't care what her father said, she didn't care  
what her friends at school said, she didn't care what her peers said.  
But what her father just said now, .... it hurt. It hurt the core of  
her being.  
So she walked to her room and tried to keep the tears in, she  
was a sixteen year old girl. She had raven black hair that fell down  
past her waist. Her eyes were a startling gray blue mist. Her face was  
fair, and she loved to run. Her body was nice and fit because of it.  
Roxanne closed her door behind her with a slam and jumped into bed.  
She pulled her knees up to her chest and cried into one of her  
pillows.  
She looked over at the clock, it was 11:00pm. It was late and it  
was a school night. She had yet to do her homework and here she was  
crying. She didn't need to be crying over someone like him. Roxanne  
wiped the tears from her face, her eyes stung and were puffy. She  
looked herself over in the mirror. She looked terrible, and she knew  
it. She twisted her hair into a bun and clipped it up. She was about  
to step in and start a shower for herself when she heard a knock at  
her wooden door. Her room was quiet, the lamp at her night stand was  
on. The knock came again.  
Roxanne strided to the door and opened it with an angry face,  
wondering who was disturbing her in the middle of the night. If it was  
a servant, then they would get what was coming to them. To her much  
surprise and displeasure, it was her father. He was still in his  
buisness suit and he looked serious. His face flashed at the sight of  
his daughter. Her eyes were red from crying, and she looked exhausted.  
"Roxanne, what's wrong?" he asked cooly.  
"Oh don't you ask what's wrong with me! I heard what you said.  
Do you think I'm that ignorant?" she shouted, her words echoing in the  
hallways.  
Her father's eyes flashed with something that Roxanne couldn't  
make out. But as suddenly as it came, it was gone. "Honey, I didn't  
mean that." he said with out much difference.  
Roxanne looked at her father, new tears at the corner of her  
eyes.  
"If you hate me so much then why do you keep me?" she knew the  
answer to that answer. It would look bad on his reputation and his  
appearance. The news would be all over it.  
"I don't hate you." he said, taking a step into her room. She  
quickly blocked him from walking any farther.  
"Well it seemed that way on the phone when you were talking to  
that guy!! If you don't hate me, then I hate you! Ever since I was  
born you hated me! It's not my fault that mother died. It's your fault  
that I can't sleep anymore. It's your fault that I make bad grades.  
You were never there for me when I needed you!!" with that said, she  
slamed the door in his face. He staggered back, the door had hit him.  
He didn't know that she had heard him on the phone. He really didn't  
mean all of what he said. It was just, he was angry and he took it out  
on her.  
He pounded on the door. He wanted to explain things for her, but  
she only turned her stereo on, the music thrummed into the walls. Then  
he heard that the water had started. He gave up, he was even angryer  
than he was before he came up to talk to her. I came here to tell her  
that she was going to go see grandpa, but now she thinks that I'm just  
sending her away... He sighed and walked to his room. He decided to  
send her there tomorrow. He needed to get away from her. She was a  
reminder of her mother, she was the spitting image of her. It was for  
that reason that he couldn't look at her. He reached his room and  
closed the door.  
  
Roxanne woke up to find that her windows were open, her curtains  
were billowing out with the wind. She saw that a note was on mirror.  
How did that get there? Then she remembered that she didn't lock her  
door last night. She got out of bed and read the note.  
  
Roxy,  
I will be at work by the time you wake up. I want you to  
take the ticket on the nightstand and go on the 1:00pm boat. You will  
have a cabin sweet. You're on first class to Mineral Town. Grandpa  
wanted to see you. He agreed to take you in. Hope you have fun. Pack  
for a long stay.  
  
Dad  
  
Roxanne snatched the note from the mirror and crushed it in her  
hand. She threw it in the trash can. She looked at her clock, it was  
12:05 pm. Roxanne smiled, she wanted to see her grandpa again. He was  
the nicest person she ever knew. She loved to take care of the animals  
and play with Skyler, his dog.  
She dressed in blue jeans and a big t-shirt. Roxanne liked loose  
shirts better than tight ones. She never did understand what girls  
liked about them. They hardly let you breathe, let alone move with out  
showing a good amount of skin. She brushed her hair and slipped on  
socks and shoes. She took out her two suitcases. She stuffed them with  
her clothes, shoes, and her stuff in her bathroom, along with her  
allowance she saved up. Roxanne hurridly brought her stuff down the  
stairs, before she grabbed her ticket, she looked her room over one  
last time.  
Roxanne swore to herself that it would be a real long time  
before she returned. She grabbed the ticket and stuffed it into her  
jean pocket. She went down the stairs two at a time and called a taxi.  
As she waited she wrote a responding note to her father.  
  
To whom it may concern: (^_^)  
I will leave from here to see grandpa, I bet he will be  
happy to see me! I knew that I would be sent away sooner or later.  
Better sooner. 12:30pm  
Roxanne  
  
She scribbled the note down with out a second thought, all she  
wanted to do was get away from the noisy city. Roxanne heard a honk  
outside the house and she placed the note in an obvious place where he  
could see it. She ran outside and placed her suitcases in the trunck  
of the taxi and hopped in.  
She looked out the window as the taxi sped it's way to the port.  
As she got there, she paid the taxi driver and thanked him. She got  
out her suitcases and stepped out on the wooden docks. Roxanne looked  
around, wondering which boat she had to get on. She dug in her pocket  
for the ticket, it said she needed to take boat 17. She looked around.  
None of the boats had numbers on them. She spotted an information desk  
and she went to it.  
"Excuse me. Which boat is number 17 ?" she asked the man at the  
desk. He looked at the ticket, then pointed her to a boat that was  
called, Noble Galley.  
She thanked the man and picked up her suit cases. Roxanne got on  
the boat and was greeted by the captain. She smiled at him and he put  
her in a room where she stayed in all the trip. She hated the ocean,  
she got sea sick when she looked at it, but to see grandpa was well  
worth it. Plus she couldn't swim worth crap either.  
It was two days at sea when she finally stepped on dry land. Her  
legs wobbled with every step she took toward grandpa's house. Roxanne  
felt sick to her stomach and she wanted to take a shower, she smelled  
like salt. But the trip over was enjoyable, the sun shone, the birds  
were always present. The captain was nice, he bade good bye to her and  
set sail to his next destination.  
Roxanne entered Mineral Town. It had been a good many years  
since she came here. She wonderd if anyone even remembered her. She  
stepped onto her grandpa's property and nocked on the door. Nobody  
answered. She opened the door as the sun was starting to set. The  
inside of the house was dusty and smelly. The room was vancant.  
Roxanne set her suitcases down and looked out the window, the  
fields were teribble looking and she saw no animals. It was then that  
she saw the for-sale sign outside. She ran out to the sign and picked  
it up, Roxanne tossed it to the ground, furious. Her father had sent  
her with out grandpa's knowing, plus, it seemed that he no longer was  
here. She looked at the barns, it seemed that everything was in poor  
condition. She knew her grandfather would never let things slip this  
much. Why would he sale it? She knew that he loved this place.  
She walked in the direction of the small town. As she entered,  
everything was closed, she looked at her watch. It was only 6:30. She  
looked all about her till she found some lights were still on in one  
of the buildings. She ran to it, desperate. She opened the doors and  
rushed in. All activity stopped, the people of the town stared at her,  
all were men except one girl. Roxanne in turn, stared at them.  
"Where is my grandpa? Where is Mr. Deeken?" she nearly screamed.  
Nobody moved, nobody said a word. They kept staring, till one of  
the men answered, he had a red mustache and red hair.  
"He's been dead for at least a year. Who are you?'' he asked.  
"Where is he?" her eyes were wide, they seemed to be like ones  
of a wild deer.  
"In Flower Bud Village. He's in peace and in rest." he aswered.  
But Roxanne was gone before he ever finished his sentence. She  
ran out into the night. Her eyes were blurring with tears, her feet  
seemed to know where they were going, but her mind was in a frenzy.  
"Who was that?" asked one of the men in the bar, he wore a  
purple cap.  
"I think that was the girl that came down to see grandpa every  
once in a while. She sure had grown." commented the bar keeper.  
"I bearly remember her." said a girl with golden brown hair. Her  
green eyes were set with an angry stare. "Why did she suddenly show  
up?" she asked.  
Everyone was suddenly talking about the girl who flew into the  
bar and what she was doing here. But only one person kept his mouth,  
his face was set as stone. Brown eyes were staring at the table in  
front of him. His sensitive mouth twitched slighly.  
  
Grey knew who that girl was. It was Roxanne. She had grown and changed  
since the last time he saw her. She was taller and more slim, her hair  
was longer. He was surprised to see her all of the sudden. Grey had  
thought that she turned spoiled and didn't care about her grandfather.  
Apparently, he was wrong.  
  
Roxanne was crouched at the head stone of her grandpa. It was  
beautifully crafted, chizzled with perfection. Roses and ivy curled  
it's way across the stone. A picture of a dog with a bandana on it's  
neck was chasing a chicken across the bottom of the head stone. She  
traced her finger over the words that were engraved on the head stone,  
smiling as tears spilled down her cheeks.  
Here lies John Angast Deeken. A loving father and a devoting  
farmer. He always loved to take care of his farm and loved his family  
more than anything. He rests in peace and watches over his beloved  
farm.  
  
Roxanne resolved to save the farm. It was what grandpa would  
have wanted anyway. It was her inheritance so she had a right to keep  
it. She got to her feet and walked back to the house, his house. She  
entered and laid down on the bed, she cried for a good while. Roxanne  
fell asleep but her dreams were plauged with nightmares. She knew that  
she had to save her farm, she had to...  
.......................................................................  
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Aspartigus: so wut did ya think? i want to thanx fairy friend for her  
help with my grammer and stuff. and i will change the format of the  
story b/c she was rite, it is annoying. and please read and review. i  
welcome flamers as well! ^_^ 


	2. In which Roxanne works on her farm and G...

Chapter 2  
In which Roxanne works on her farm and Grey makes a visit  
  
Roxanne woke up the next morning at 9:00am. She was tired and  
she felt a little sore. She was gonna have to tell her father what had  
happened but something told her that he already knew. She got up and  
discovered that she was still dressed in what she had on last night.  
Roxanne looked around her, her skin was crawling, crying out to be  
washed. That was the first thing that she had on her mind.  
But the one room house only contained a bed, an old t.v., a  
night stand, and a table that was in the middle of the room, and a  
wooden box in the corner of the room. That was it. Darn it grandpa,  
you could have had so much more. She went out side a found a outside  
shower. She stopped and stared at it. To her, it seemed like her worst  
enemy. Roxanne had had many bad experiences in that shower. She  
swallowed hard.  
She turned on the shower and stepped in, the water was freezing.  
She showered the fastest that she had ever done before in her life.  
Roxanne got out in nothing but a towel, and ran inside. She dressed  
and ate one of her power bars that she had for a snack on the boat.  
Roxanne locked the door as she left. She didn't look back, she knew  
what she had to do. She walked into town and tryed to ignore all the  
stares she was getting. She went to the mayor's office and waited  
after she told the lady what she was here for.  
It took a while, but soon the lady waved her in. The mayor was a  
short fat man with brown hair and mustache. He had a spectical on his  
right eyes and he had a high squeaky voice. Roxanne decided that she  
liked him. He looked like the kind of man that wanted everything and  
everyone happy and heathly.  
"What is it that you want, miss?" he asked in his high voice.  
"I'm am the granddaughter of Mr. Deekens, grandpa. I'm here to  
give my attention to his farm. I'm his hier so there for it's mine.  
That means that you can't sale it. I demand to have it returned to  
me." She said in a buisness like voice that seemed unfit for a person  
that was only in her teens and wearing jeans and a big t-shirt.  
The mayor looked at her for a while, a blank stare on his face,  
like he didn't understand. He sat back in his chair, his head bearily  
visable over the top of the huge desk he was siting at. Roxanne had to  
supress a laugh. She sat up straight and crossed her legs, waiting for  
his reply.  
"Well, in his will, it did say that who ever of his family came  
with in a year's time would keep the farm. But you're too late. The  
farm has been for sale for a month now."  
"Has anyone tried to make an offer for it or even looked at it?"  
she asked critically.  
"No, the towns people think that it wouldn't be right for any of  
them to buy the farm. And nobody has come to Mineral Town in a long  
time. So nobody has looked at it." he said, his voice sounded  
confused.  
"Well I'm here now and I would like to take costedy over the  
property." said Roxanne.  
The mayor looked at her, his eyes showed that he did not  
understand what she was saying. It was rather annoying to watch but  
Roxanne had to be firm if she wanted her land, grandpa's land.  
"Look, I loved my grandpa more than my own father. He was my  
only salvation from him. I've lived in agony with with my father. When  
I came here when I was a little girl, I would stay here for months. I  
want to keep his legacy thriving. I won't see it turned into a useless  
piece of land." she was speaking from her heart, and right now her  
heart was a gaping wound.  
The mayor nodded in agreement, smiling for the first time. He  
hopped off his chair and waddled over to her. " I thank you for your  
honesty. At first, I thought you were a buiseness woman who didn't  
care for the farm. I wasn't about to hand it over, but you look  
genuin. So I will let you keep your land and let you live off of it. I  
want you to pull it out of it's rut and make it better than what your  
granpappy did." he took her hand and pulled her out of her office.  
He told his clerk that he was going out and that he would be  
back. He pulled Roxanne behind him. He told her what and where  
everything was. He took her to the cross paths and told her where the  
paths led.  
He ended his discussion with, "If you can't fix that farm in  
three years then it will be taken away from you. I'll see you in three  
years to check up on you and see your progress." She took it as a  
threat, Roxanne gave him a glare. She didn't like to threatened. She  
thanked him for his help and went to her new home.  
She scanned across her new property, the fields needed to be  
tended and the chicken coop and barn needed a new coat of paint. She  
didn't know the state inside the coop or barn but she suspected that  
they were pretty bad too. The grass needed to be mowed and the dog  
house smelled. The tree needed a trim, a major trim, more like  
chopping a good deal off. The horse stall needed much attention as  
well.  
Grandpa must had been fading little by little, he would never  
accept this. But for today, she would work on the inside of the house.  
She walked up to the door, some of the wooden boards needed to be  
mended and the roof needed some shingles. She sighed. She had a lot of  
work.  
She opened the door to the darkness of the house. Roxanne  
flicked on the lights, thank the gods for electricity. She said to  
herself. She rummaged in the tool box and pulled out a duster and a  
broom. She took the duster in hand and opened the window to let in  
some fresh air. Roxanne dusted all the surfaces, coughing. There was  
so much dust. She then took the broom and swept the floor. She took  
out a floor brush and a bucket, filling it with soap and water.  
Roxanne rolled up her jeans and tied back her hair. She got on her  
hands and knees and scrubbed the floor of all the grim and muck.  
The floor sparkled with clean-ness when she was done, Roxanne  
rummaged through the tool box again. She pulled out a old rag and some  
polishing oil. She dipped the rag in the oil and polished all the wood  
in the house, including the floor. Once that was done, she took the  
sheets and pillow case off the bed. She went out side and threw them  
into the pond. She watched them as she flung them in and out of the  
water. She held them out in fron of her, dripping wet, and found an  
old close line. She squeezed out the extra water and hung them out to  
dry.  
She stepped back into the little cabin and closed the door. Her  
nose was suddenly assulted with the smell of wood polish, her eyes  
watered as she opened the door again. She stepped out of the cabin  
again, coughing and wiping her eyes. She sat down on the overgrown  
grass, breathing the faint smell of flowers, thankful it was flowers  
and not the smell of oil.  
Foot falls rebounded across the lawn. Roxanne sat up, she coved  
her face from the afternoon sun. "Who's there?" she called. Her eyes  
squinted as the person stepped in front of her so his shadow fell  
across her face, Roxanne dropped her hand.  
"Grey, I'm here to welcome you to Mineral Town." he said. His  
voice was quiet yet powerful. His light redish brownish hair(A/N:gee  
wut color hair does he have?) fell slightly across his face. She knew  
him from somewhere. But she couldn't place it.  
"You look familer." she said, not acknowleging his polite  
greeting.  
"You may have seen me at the bar last night." he said.  
"No, not there. Well, I remember seeing you but I remember you  
from somewhere else." Roxanne said. Her eyes searching his. Grey  
didn't know what to say, he had not see this girl in many long years  
and he didn't even know why he was here now. He doubted that she  
remembered him.  
She stood up, her face was flushed, sweat was rolling off her  
forehead and back. Her jeans were still rolled up and her shirt was  
tied in the back to allow the breeze to pass over her. She looked like  
a wierd tourist. She untied her shirt and let it cover her stomach  
again, she undid her ponytail, letting her hair cascade to her waist,  
all the while she was staring at him.  
She put the tie in her mouth as she pulled her hair back again.  
Grey watched her tie back her hair then he met her eyes once more.  
"I know who you are!" Roxanne said suddenly, startling Grey out  
of his thoughts. " You're that boy who always rode horses! You taught  
me how to ride on Green Ranch. I rode on Cliffard, that mahogany horse  
with the red mane. He was so pretty. He only let you ride him for a  
long time though, but you taught me the basics on him. After that I  
rode Filly, she was mare. She was a cream palomino and I loved to jump  
on her and go on trail rides with you. I remember your sister, Ann.  
She was a real nice person. I liked her. But she never rode with me  
and you." she said hurridly. Her eyes were shining.  
Grey was really surprised that she remembered it so well, and so  
accuretly. He nodded his head. It was all he could do.  
"Do you still ride?" she asked, walking into the house, waving a  
hand to make him follow.  
"No." he said.  
She waited for him to elaborate but he didn't, he just stood in  
the door way. The room smelled strongly of polish to him. It was hard  
for him to bear, so he stayed in the door way. Roxanne opened one of  
the cubords and took out two glasses. She put some ice in them from  
the ice box and added water. She offered him the glass and he took it.  
She grabbed the soapy water bucket and tossed the water out the  
window. Roxanne set the bucket up -side-down in fron of the table and  
then pulled the tool box on the other side.  
"Sit." she ordered, pointing at the over turned bucket. Grey  
hesitated, but only for a moment. "Sorry that I don't have any chairs,  
but these will do for the time being. So why don't you ride any more?"  
she asked as she gulped down the water.  
"I don't really want to talk about it." he said coldly. His  
voice was guarded, his face masked.  
"Sorry, didn't mean to make you upset." Roxanne said defensivly.  
Giving him a mean look, but a teasing one. She was acting like the  
passage of time didn't make a difference to her, like they were still  
good childhood friends. She leaned forward on the table.  
"So.... What's happen to you since I've been away?" she asked.  
"Nothing really, when you didn't return the next summer, I went  
about my chores and stuff. Ann did her stuff, she and I went to school  
and then we took up the ranch full time. I work with the horses and  
animals, took care of the barn. Ann watched them out in the pasture.  
And dad took care of all the buisness side of the ranch." he said,  
taking a sip of his water.  
"That all? Well not much has happened to me either. I went back  
to the city and my father never took the time to do anyhting with me.  
So I learned to take care of myself at a young age. I went to school  
and prom. Stupid stuff like that. My father would never let me go to  
see grandpa anymore, I didn't understand. But then I figured out that  
it made his image look bad if I went off to Mineral town every summer.  
So he put a stop to that. He tried to put me in a bording school, but  
that didn't work out. So then I heard a conversation on the phone, it  
was pretty bad so father shipped me off here again. And when I got  
here, grandpa was dead." she stopped, her eyes suddenly sad,  
reflectant.  
"So I'm here now and I want to restore the farm like it was  
before." she finished. She looked proud of her self, like she had  
already accoplished this feat.  
"You want to restore this run down farm?!?" he asked, appalled  
"It's not that hard. Besides, I would rather stay here and work  
my ass off then go home and sit there on the couch." Roxanne said even  
more defensively. She stood up suddenly and walked back outside. Grey  
followed, leaving his glass of water along with her's. He walked out  
side, looking for Roxanne. Grey looked all about him but couldn't find  
her. He shook his head, grinning. It was like old times. He liked to  
fight with her, he liked to tease her. But he didn't mean to make her  
so irritated. Grey walked out of the property to Green Ranch with a  
pair of gray blue eyes watching him. 


	3. In which Roxanne builds a fence and she ...

Chapter 3  
In which Roxanne builds fence and she and Grey have some rainy  
fun  
  
Roxanne woke up around nine again. She stayed up till 11:00pm  
last night working on the house. She fixed the t.v., somewhat, one  
channle still was just static. She washed the windows and put in some  
makeshift curtains. She got up and dressed and picked out some tools  
from the tool box, an ax and a hammer. Roxanne wanted to work on the  
fields today, they looked so horrid. She wanted to get them done  
really quickly.  
She went outside and looked at the dreaded work ahead of her.  
Roxanne slung the ax over her shoulder and began to search for some  
stumps to chop. She worked till noon, chopping all the stumps,  
gathering the cut wood and stacked them in the wood stop. She rested  
for a while in the shade of the tree and then started to work on the  
iritating rocks. Roxanne started to smash them to bits when she  
stopped. The rocks were hard to break and there were so many of them.  
She counted some of them, she guessed that there was plenty of them to  
make a good fence.  
Roxanne threw aside the hammer and began to aline the rocks into  
a line. It enclosed the entire field, making a sturdy, long lasting  
fence. She was proud of her new idea, Roxanne had watch her grandpa  
work on repairing the fence over and over. Of course she would have to  
add wood in some key areas but it would cut down on her fence repairs  
and not exhaust wood supplies.  
She continued to smash the remaining rocks and boulders. It was  
long past night fall when she mashed the last rock. All the stumps and  
rocks were gone. And all that was left was the weeds. She could easily  
pull those out now but she was so tired. She wanted nothing to do but  
sleep. Roxanne took a shower outside again, grumbling that she would  
have to save enough money to buy a complete bathroom. She did not know  
how her grandfather lived all this time with out one.  
She stepped out of the shower and dressed in her night clothes.  
Roxanne watched the news, rain was supposed to come in tomorrow. She  
sighed, she would have a boring day tomorrow but at least it would be  
a day off. May be I could go shopping or play in the rain!! She  
thought at that. She loved to play in the rain. It was the funnest  
thing in the world. She had brought her bathing suit, more to sun  
bathe than swim.  
She turned off the television, climbed into bed after turning  
off the light. She couldn't wait till morning.  
  
  
  
Roxanne woke to the sound of rain, wind blew across the window,  
making it rattle and shake. The house was holding up pretty good but  
there was a leak in the roof. It was a small one, a few drips of water  
would seep through every now and then. Roxanne got up and pulled out a  
pan from the cubbard. She placed the pan under the the dripping water  
and watched it for a while. She was so tired, it wasn't even funny.  
She looked at the clock, it was 7:00am in the morning. She  
groaned and turned her attention back to the pan. The sound rung in  
her ears, it was rather annoying. She got up and took out a glass and  
filled it with water from the sink. She drank a little from it then  
poured the rest of the water into the pan. Roxanne sat on her haunches  
as the sound was reduced to the all famous water droplet sound. She  
nearly fell over, she hated that sound too but it was better than the  
other sound. She got back up and crawled back into the bed.  
Roxanne listened to the sound of the water in her house and the  
rain outside. She watched the minute hand of the clock move ever so  
slowly. She decided to get back up, she was too awake now to go back  
tosleep. Roxanne stuck her tounge out at the pan filling slowly with  
water, but it just sat there innocently. She got out her suit case and  
searched through it for her bathing suit. Gods I need a dresser or  
something, she thought. She pulled it out, a red string bakini that  
was very revealing. She loved to tan in this one. Roxanne undressed  
and put it on.  
She sat back down and brushed her hair. She had a lot of knots,  
Roxanne hated it when her hair was a bird's nest. She brushed her hair  
free of knots till it shone. She then put on a big white t-shirt and  
some shorts. She got to her feet and ate another power bar. Roxanne  
was getting tired of these, that's why she couldn't wait to eat  
something new. She got out her allowance and pulled on some flip flops  
and walked out the door.  
Rain bonbarded her as she walked to the main part of the  
village. She didn't see anyone else out this morning, but she guesses  
that she would not see anyone today. Who would play outside in this  
weather.  
She walked into a cafe and shut the door. The old lady that was  
in a rocking chair was startled awake. She called to someone named  
'Elli' and another woman came out, about the age of Roxanne. Give or  
take a few years.  
Roxanne smiled at her and shook her hand which the girl looked  
relunctant to do.  
"Hi, I'm Roxanne. I was wondering if you had some milk and some  
other stuff. Ya know, like groceries." she said happily.  
Elli looked the girl in front of her up and down. She could see  
her red bra under the sheer white shirt. She looked like a hooker,  
this Roxanne. Even her name sounded odd. Elli gave her a gaurded look,  
she didn't like the new comer. She nodded and got her everything on  
her list that she wanted. She rung up the price with curt responces.  
Roxanne got the idea that Elli didn't like her. She wondered how many  
other people didn't like her because she was different.  
She thanked her for the goods and left with out a second glance.  
She didn't want to become friends with some one that already judged  
her by how she looked. Roxanne hurried home and placed her groceries  
on the table, took off her shoes and went back out side. It was now  
9:00am.  
She walked out in the rain, it was not a driving rain like it  
was earlier, but a soft shower. Roxanne walked on the path where the  
cross roads were. She didn't know which way to go. She decided to go  
to the beach. She walked past Green Ranch, the lights were blazing and  
there was hustle and bustle inside the house. She smiled, remembering  
fond memories there.  
She walked on towards the beach. Knowing that she could play in  
the sand and in the ocean. But she wouldn't go too far in the water  
but just enough to play in. What she didn't know was that a pair of  
brown eyes were watching her.  
Roxanne splashed in the ocean, the water was only up to her  
knees. The rain had lighted up even more, no just a soft drizzle. She  
was worried that the rain would stop completely. That would end her  
fun and then she would be back to work.  
She bent down to her knees and dipped her hair into the water.  
She loved the cool water of the sea and the warm showers of the rain.  
It was a perfect combination. Foot steps on the sand made her fall  
back into the water, her whole body was under. Roxanne burst from the  
bottom of the sandy floor and looked up at the person who had started  
her. It was Grey.  
He was in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and was holding an  
umbrella over his head. He looked confused.  
"What in the name of hell are you doing?" he asked, a slight  
laughter in his voice.  
"I was having a day off. And I wanted to play in the rain. You  
have a thing about scaring me. This is the second time," Roxanne said  
over the rain. She got up and ran out of the ocean. She didn't want to  
play in it anymore. It had swallowed her, she was not comfortable with  
being there anymore.  
"What are you doing here? Are you following me?" she asked.  
"I saw you outside my window and I wanted to see what you were  
doing out in the rain." he answered. There was a silence, an empty  
silence.  
Roxanne gave him a long look. She raised a delicate black  
eyebrow. She laughed at him then started to walk away. Grey gave her a  
odd look, wondering what she was going to do. She turned around and  
told him to follow her. Her rain drenched clothing were plastered to  
her body, showing off every curve and every shape.  
"What?" Grey asked.  
"Wanna play in the rain today? With me?" she asked.  
Grey thought about it, he had a lot of chores to do in the barn.  
He couldn't put those aside and blow off the rest of the day. He had  
to groom the horses and clean out the stalls and refill the water  
buckets.  
Roxanne saw the conflict in his eyes. She quickly went to him  
and put a finger over his lips.  
"You could play in the rain with me for a while, then you can go  
back to work." she said, her voice sly, suggesting.  
Grey nodded his head, walking with her.  
"Oh and one more thing, no more umbrella!"Roxanne giggled,  
taking his umbrella and throwing it over the fence into his yard.  
"Hey! I'm going to get wet. We can't just leave it there!" Grey  
said, his voice angry. But Roxanne ignored him, laughing at him. She  
took off toward Moon Mountain, laughing all the while.  
"That's the point of playing in the rain! I can leave it, so can  
you." she said. "Catch me!" her voice was bubbling with mischief.  
Grey watched her run away, he looked back at his umbrella. He  
had never said yes to staying with her for the day. She looked very  
happy though, when she ran away, playing chase. He looked at the barn  
then back to the path up to Moon Mountain. Grey grinned, running after  
her.  
  
  
  
Hours later under the shade of a tree, Grey and Roxanne sat  
together, breathing hard. They had ran around all over the mountain  
side like they were children. Roxanne acted more like a child than a  
teenager. Grey liked they way she looked at things, if something was  
bad in one person's eyes like rain, she made it seem fun to others.  
She seemed to be very happy. But he couldn't forget the sad look she  
had when she was talking about her father.  
He glanced over at her, she was breathing more evenly now, her  
nose was runny as was his, her hair was wild about her face. He  
watched her chest rise and fall with her breaths.  
"Fun huh?" she asked, her breath gone with that sentence.  
Grey nodded, he couldn't voice his words. Roxanne turned to him,  
her eyes gleaming, she seemed too unpredictable to Grey, even as they  
were kids she was unpredictable. He was soaked to the bone and he had  
mud all over his clothes. He was freezing from head to toe but it was  
worth it. It was nice to blow off everything for a change.  
The rain let up and the clouds parted, the rayes of the sun  
shown through. Grey looked up at the sky, certain that he would never  
forget this day. Roxanne looked up too, her lip out in a pouty way.  
Grey laughed a little at her face.  
"The rain stopped." she said. She was also covered in mud, but  
she looked good in it in an odd way. She seemed to look better when  
she was working or playing. Grey shook his head.  
"Yeah, I think I have to be going now. The sun is about to set."  
he started to get up.  
Roxanne got up too but she grabbed his hand to restrain him. She  
didn't want this day to end. With the sun hidden behind the clouds, it  
seemed that time stood still. She didn't want to go back, not yet.  
"Can't we watch the sunset?'' she asked, looking up at him, eyes  
pleading.  
Grey looked into her eyes, they seemed as stormy as the sky  
itself. But he had to go, but he also wanted to stay with Roxanne.  
"I've got to go." he said.  
"Just till the sun sets. If you get in trouble, just say you had  
to walk me home. Then it would be my fault, not your's." she prodded,  
her reasoning sounded right but he knew it wasn't. In the end, he  
found that his mouth moved without his permission. He watched as  
Roxanne jumped up and down with delight, she tugged him to the top of  
the mountain peak.  
They reached the top, her chattering all the while. Grey enjoyed  
the walk. He had come up here many times to think or to be alone, so  
he was always with out company. He had never come to this spot with  
anyone before. They sat there while the sun blazed it's last shafts of  
light, but it soon disappeared below the horizon. Roxanne sat cross  
legged while Grey streched out and leaned back on his hands. It had  
been a while since he had watched a sunset. It was a nice change of  
pace. He glanced over at Roxanne.  
She seemed transfixed on the horizone line. He sat up and looked  
at her. Her face was serious, like she was thinking hard on something.  
  
"What's wrong?" Grey asked, his voice was low, quiet.  
She turned her head to his, her eyes brighter than that of the  
sun's. "That is the very first time in a very long while that I've  
seen a sunset like that one. Thank you for coming with me." she  
smiled.  
Roxanne stood. Dusting of her clothes that were half way dry,  
she began to walk back down the mountain. Grey followed her lead, he  
was going to get scolded at by his father. It was usually Ann who did  
this kind of thing, not him. He caught up to Roxanne and they walked  
side by side.  
"You need me to explain things to your dad or can you handle  
it?" she asked, her voice in quiet reserve. It seemed so unlike her,  
he was used to her being loud.  
"I can handle it." he answered.  
Roxanne smiled, clearly tuckered out. She bade him goodbye as  
they reached her house. She went inside to dry off and get some sleep,  
Grey watched her get safely into her house. He was smiling for the  
first time in a long while, it was a real smile.  
He reached his own home to find his father waiting for him, he  
looked angry. The smile on Grey's face immediatly left.  
"Where were you all day? You were gone. Ann did her work and  
your's too. I think you owe her a apology, and to the animals. What  
did you do to yourself?" his father thundered jestering to his mud  
covered clothes.  
Grey thought about it, but he really didn't have a good answer.  
"I spent the day with the new girl, Roxanne. Remember her? She asked  
me to spend the day with her and I said that it was fine. We were out  
on the mountain." he said, the memories of the day flashed in his  
head.  
His father gave him a look. "Roxanne, that little girl who  
always came over, that Roxy? That was the girl that hurled herself in  
the bar?" Grey nodded. "Is she well?" he asked, the anger in his voice  
changed to curiosity.  
"Yes." he said.  
"What did ya'll do?'' he asked.  
Grey only smiled and left to take a shower. His father saw his  
smile and the smile he had on his face when he came in. It had been a  
long time since the accident. Since then he had never truely smiled.  
But when a girl that had been gone for years suddenly comes back, he  
smiled with in two days of her staying. Grey's father shook his head,  
he didn't know what to think any more. 


	4. In which Roxanne has some chickens and g...

Chapter 4  
In which Roxanne has chickens and she gets a new horse and  
suffers a hard blow  
  
Many days past. Days turned to weeks and Roxanne was still  
working on restoring the barn. She had finished the chicken coop but  
it still needed a new coat of paint. And she now had four chickens,  
naming them was hard for her. They all looked the same. So the first  
one was named Breakfast, the second one Lunch and the third Dinner.  
And the last one was named Ruby. It had the darked red crest on it's  
head.  
Roxanne would collect the eggs every morning at 6:00am. She  
hated to get up that early but the dumb birds wouldn't shut up.  
Roxanne noticed that the chickens were restless and at every moment  
that they could, they would try to dart thier way outside. So she used  
the left over wood to construct a chicken pen outside the chicken  
coop. After Roxanne would feed them and gather thier eggs, she would  
place them outside for the rest of the day then take them inside at  
night.  
It was still spring and Roxanne hadn't seen Grey since that  
rainy day. She wanted to see him again but she had too much work to  
do, but at least Roxanne had made a new friend. Karen was a nice girl  
with atitude, she was really good with her alcohol and she loved to  
talk about different things. Roxanne was really happy that she had a  
friend. She had met Popuri, Elli and Maria, and they din't seem to  
thrilled about meeting her. Roxanne gave them cold curtesy. But when  
she was with Karen, she was allowed to be herself.  
She met Ann as well, Ann remembered her which made Roxanne  
happy. They would talk to when they saw each other but they would  
never go as far as that. So here Roxanne was with her new patch of  
turnips and cabbage and her new chickens which she was fond of. She  
let loose the last chicken, Dinner, and went to check her mail. It was  
just now reaching seven and she had to go and water her plants soon  
before the scortching sun was overhead.  
She checked the mail box, she was extremely happy that she had  
some mail, even if it was advertisment. There was a carpenter  
advertisement and another one from Green Ranch. Roxanne opened the  
Green Ranch mail, reading it quickly, her smile broading.  
She stuffed th letter in her jean's pocket and hurried to water  
her plants. They were still seedlings, but they were lush and green.  
She nurtured them like they were children. She finished her watering  
and it was coming on nine. Roxanne dusted off her legs and bottom and  
she walked her way to Green Ranch. She hummed as she did so, happier  
than she had been in a long time. It seemed that when she was here,  
she was happy. But when she was there, in the city, she was lost.  
She reached the ranch, leaning on the fence post by the pasture.  
She remembered how she and Grey would ride. She smiled. Grey was out  
in the pasture lunging Cliffard. His eyes were concentrated on the  
horse as he drove him around and around with the lunge line. Cliff  
held his head in definace as he was restrained by the rope. But Grey  
still drove him on.  
Roxanne suddenly remembered that Grey had said that he didn't  
ride anymore. She wondered why. But she didn't press the question, he  
had exploded when she did ask the last time. He seemed different than  
he used to be. When they were kids, Grey was quiet but he smiled alot.  
You could always tell his feelings by his expression. But now he  
seemed to have this mask over his face.  
Roxanne hopped over the fence and began to walk towards the  
lunging horse. The grass was at least ankle high, it was green, very  
green. It looked so good that a person could have munched on it.  
Roxanne kept walking, she looked up and noticed that Grey stopped  
Cliffard. He had turned around and stared at her with no expression on  
his face.  
"Hi!" waved Roxanne. She jogged the rest of the way over to him,  
her hair fell from it's bonds and streamed out behind her.  
Grey acknowleged her greeting and gathered up the rest of the  
lead line.  
"Gee Grey, you're so loud today." teased Roxanne. Her eyes were  
playful as she looked up at Grey's dark brown ones. Roxanne tilted her  
head to the side, wondering why he had not said anything yet.  
"What's wrong?'' she asked, her voice filled with concern.  
Grey jerked his head at her but still didn't say anything. He  
was waiting for her to say what she was doing her for.  
"What are you doing here?'' he asked.  
Roxanne was caught totally off gaurd with his question. "What? I  
can't just show up unannounced? That's rather rude of you." she said  
indignantly, folding her arms across her chest.  
Grey looked her over, it was rude of him to ask a question? But  
is was not rude of her to just show up unannounced. He grined at her,  
leading his horse to the barn, Roxanne close behind him. He brushed  
out Cliff and gave him water silently, Roxanne sat on an over turned  
bucket and watched, her eyes taking in everything that he was going.  
Grey felt uneasy that she was watching him without blinking. He was  
going to ask her what she wanted when he thought better of it. It  
would be better if she said what's on her mind, he thought.  
"So, the letter said that you had a foal up for grabs." she said  
out of no where.  
Grey paused. "Yes." he answered. He went back to his brushing.  
"I was wondering if I could see it." she said, still watching  
what he was doing.  
"Alright, if you want to." he threw the brush into the tack  
bucket to his right and left Cliff where he was. Roxanne didn't follow  
right away, she stayed till Cliff was done drinking and he left to go  
graze in the pasture. She got up and ran after Grey. He waited for her  
and together they walked to a different pen.  
They came upon a round pen with two foals in them. They were  
running around and playing with each other. They were bucking and  
rearing and nipping at each other. It was a sight to behold. Roxanne  
bounded forward and ran to the post. She watched the little foals jump  
around. Grey came up next to her.  
"What do you think?'' he asked, his voice indifferent.  
Roxanne smiled, answering, "I think they are the cutest things  
in the world!" she giggled. She looked at them both. One was a creamy  
brown, like the color of coffee, a chestnut. The other was a dark  
black with a fluffy golden mane and tail.  
"Could I get one? I hadn't ridden in so long. May be I  
shouldn't, I have enough on my plate already." she was mummbling to  
herself, one of her favorite pass times. She looked at each of the  
foals, thinking it over.  
"I'm sure you could handle one." Grey said absently. His mind  
was somewhere else.  
Roxanne gave him a hard look, straight in the eyes. "What's your  
problem? You haven't said 'hi' back or talked much at all." she said,  
her voice hot and defensive.  
"It's not my fault." Grey said evenly, giving her a dirty look.  
Roxanne took it as an offence. She stood up straight and glared at  
him. "I want a good opinion. Should I get a horse or should I not?''  
she asked seriously.  
"I think you should, you have good reflexes and you seem to know  
what mood Grey is in. I think it would be good for you to ride. It  
builds your legs muscles and arms. Having a horse around is also a  
good friend as well." said a blonde haired girl. She gave Grey a mean  
look, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ya know Grey, you've been in  
a bad mood ever since that conversation we had the other day. Don't  
tell me you took it to heart." she watched her brother for a while  
then turned her attention back to Roxanne.  
"So what do you say? Want a horse or don't you?" said Ann.  
"Well hello to you too Ann. And yes I would like to have a  
horse. How much?'' she asked.  
Ann gave her a funny look then answered. "If you read the note,  
then you would already know. We're giving them away. It's not every  
day that you get this good of a deal. Father wanted to do this to  
bring in more potential buyers but I don't think it's gonna work." she  
said, putting her hands on her hips.  
"Which one ya want?'' Ann asked.  
Roxanne gave Grey a side ways glance, wondering what the  
conversation that he and his sister had. But she didn't want to  
intrude. "Could I have the black one?'' she asked, her eyes roaming  
over to the little black foal.  
Ann nodded, " You got good sence in that brain of your's. The  
black one is the mot well behaved, plus he's a looker. What will ya  
call it?" she asked, her eyes serious. "Remember, the name is  
everything."  
Roxanne gave Ann a sigh and watched the little foal again. The  
black one was a hyper little fellow. He had a certain fire in his  
eyes. She had to give him a noble name, a fine name for a fine animal.  
She watched him jump and buck. Then a name suddenly hit her.  
"Fox Fire." she murmured, the words were bearily audiable to  
Grey who was right next to her.  
"What?'' said Ann, her voice was high, almost screeching.  
"I'll call him Fox Fire." she answered, her eyes aflame with  
happiness.  
"Ok, Fox Fire. That's a nice name. I like it." Ann went inside  
the wooden pen and caught the colt. "You're gonna have to brush him  
every day and make sure he comes to you. You got to train him and all  
that. Take him inside when the hurricanes hit, they like rain though.  
It doesn't hurt them. Ride him every day too when he's big enough."  
she shoved the lead rope into Roxanne's hands and walked away with out  
a good bye.  
Roxanne had the feeling that the conversation between Grey and  
Ann was about her. Ann thinks I'm no good too? Roxanne thanked her any  
way and said good bye to Grey, who didn't say anything either. She  
walked the little colt back to the entrance of Green Ranch, but she  
was stopped with a shout.  
"Roxanne, wait!" it was Grey, he was running around the corner  
of the house, right to her. He looked like he was in conflict with  
himself.  
"What?'' she said. She had a guarded voice, not really having  
the patince with him anymore. He acted so cold to her that she really  
didn't care what he had to say at the moment.  
"Want some help?" he asked, his eyes searching her's. Roxanne  
really didn't need any help, she could walk the horse by herself. But  
his voice sounded pleading. She looked at the colt who was watching a  
butterfly, then back to Grey.  
"Ok.'' she answered, smiling at him. He took the lead line from  
her hands and tugged at Fox Fire, they continued to walk in silence.  
"Your sister seemed really cold to me today. Is she mad at me?  
Does she not like me?" questioned Roxanne, breaking the silence. She  
watched Grey's face, the corner of his mouth twitched.  
"She has this thing against you. I don't know why. But she says  
that you're a real slut." he answered. He adverted his face, he stared  
at the dirt. Roxanne felt a strong tug at her heart. Not Ann too.  
First Elli then Popuri, Maria, now Ann. Man these villsge girls are  
mean. She was grateful that she had Karen as a friend. They were close  
or so she thought.  
"Oh, really." she whispered. "Has she always thought of me this  
way?'' she asked, not even looking at Grey.  
Grey snapped his head up at her statment. She sounded sad again.  
He didn't like it when she was sad. "I'm not sure. She never really  
talks to me anymore. But she's the first to butt into people's lives."  
he answered looking up at Roxanne.  
She had a small smile on her face, but her mind was somewhere  
else. "Do you think of me that way?'' she asked, looking up at him for  
the first time in this conversation, her eyes looked watery. She was  
about to cry. She was a hundred miled from her home in the city and  
she had only her grandpa here. Now he was gone and she was making a  
living out a of scratch. She had few friends, if any.  
"No, I never have. And I don't think I'll ever will." he said,  
his voice low, reassuring. They reached her farm and they stopped at  
the entrance. Roxanne took the lead line away from Grey, giving him a  
warming smile, but her eyes still looked like they were about to cry  
any minute.  
"Thanks Grey, even if you don't mean it. I like to think that  
I'm still friends with you." she gave him a hug and a kiss on the  
cheek, her eyes spilling over. She turned around and left him, saying  
goodbye.  
Grey watched her leave, feeling really bad for her and very  
angry with Ann. He wondered if Roxanne would stay or leave. Leaving  
must look pretty good for right now, he thought. But he really didn't  
know the half of it. He turned around and walked into town to pick up  
some groceries. He was out here already, might as well get them now  
instead of later. 


End file.
